Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: apples

  • Vegan Apple Filo Hand Pies

    Vegan Apple Filo Hand Pies

    I am loving all things apple lately, and I have been making apple desserts almost every weekend since the start of the season!  So last weekend was no exception, I decided to make some apple hand pies!  Except not with the usual pie dough, with filo dough!  I have made savory ones with it in the past or individual spanokopitas and stuff, and loved the texture so I thought why not a sweet one!  These Vegan Apple Filo Hand Pies turned out so delicious I had to share them!

    They are actually pretty easy to make.  I made the filling first, the day before actually so it could cool.  It is pretty simple like a pie filling just cooked in a pan.  I added some maple and vanilla flavors to make it extra delicious!  For the filo dough, you want to make sure you thaw it out overnight so it is easier to work with the next day and doesn’t break as much.  Then while you are working with it I recommend putting plastic wrap over the pieces you aren’t working with so it doesn’t dry out.

    I brushed it with vegan butter so it got nice and flaky and wrapped it around the flavorful apple filling.  You have to be gentle with it, but I feel like it is still less work than regular pie dough that you make from scratch.  After they were wrapped up and given one last brush of butter, I sprinkled them with sugar and popped them into the oven for about 20 minutes!  They smelled sooo good!

    Once they had cooled down and I was able to try one, it was so delicious!  Tender sweet apples scented with cinnamon, maple and vanilla wrapped in crispy flaky dough, perfect served with some vegan whipped cream for dipping!  If you are in the mood for something with apples, definitely give these Vegan Apple Filo Hand Pies a try!

    Vegan Apple Filo Hand Pies

    Serves 6-8

    Ingredients:

    • 4 cups organic tart sweet apples, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 tsp maple extract
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

     

    Filo Dough:

    • 10 sheets thawed filo dough
    • 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
    • granulated sugar for sprinkling

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
    2. Heat a pot on the stove on medium heat, then add the apples, maple syrup, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring often until the apples have softened.  Then add maple and vanilla extracts, cinnamon, sea salt and sprinkle in the cornstarch and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
    3. When ready to make the hand pies, lay out a piece of filo, brush the top with melted butter, fold in half and put about 1/4 cup apples in the center.  then fold the top half of the dough over it, then the bottom half, then each of the sides.  Place folded side down on a parchment lined tray.  Repeat with the remaining apples and dough.  When the hand pies are all on the sheet pan, brush with more melted vegan butter, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
    4. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until they are crispy and starting to brown.
    5. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before enjoying.
  • Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Coffeecake

    Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Coffeecake

    This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own

    I have been seeing all sorts of delicious apple desserts in my newsfeed lately, and have been excited to start making my own!  I love a good apple pie, apple muffins or apple scones, but what I decided to make first was some apple “cream cheese” coffeecake!  Raw Guru recently sent me some of their Dastony raw cashew butter, which is something I love using in my cream cheese fillings so it was the perfect time to make it!

    I have always loved coffeecakes, especially the ones involving cream cheese ever since I was a kid and I begged my mom to buy me some at the grocery store.  Of course home made is always better though, and she made some pretty good coffeecake too!  This is the time of year when I usually whip one up!  The base for this one is pretty easy to make, I used coconut oil for richness, the apple sauce to create a moist cake with apple flavor and of course cinnamon and nutmeg that go so lovely with apple.  The batter tasted delicious even before I baked it!

    For the cream cheese, I combined the Dastony raw cashew butter with coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla to make a rich cream cheese layer.  I could not wait to bake this cake up!  But first I made a bit of streusel to sprinkle over the top, because why not?  It smelled heavenly while it was baking!  I love the scents of fall goodies!

    Once it was all cool and ready to try, I had to dive in so I cut myself a good sized piece.  It was sooo good!  Soft, sweet apple cake with a layer of rich “cream cheese”!  If you have apples or applesauce on hand give this a try!  I actually pureed some fresh apples to make mine. If you would like to check out some Dastony cashew butter you can do so on the Raw Guru website!

    Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Coffeecake
    Makes a 9×9 inch cake

    Ingredients:

    Cream Cheese:

    • 3/4 cup thick coconut milk (from the top of a chilled can)
    • 1/2 cup Dastony raw cashew butter
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch

     

    Streusel:

    • 1/2 cup organic rolled oats
    • 2 Tbsp maple sugar
    • 1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil

     

    Cake:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 cup maple sugar
    • 1 cup full fat coconut milk (the thick kind, I prefer Thai Kitchen brand) at room temperature
    • 1 cup apple sauce
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp cider vinegar

     

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper.
    2. Combine all of the “cream cheese” ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Set aside.
    3. Combine all of the streusel ingredients in a bowl, and mix together with hands until it forms clumps and is well combined. Set aside.
    4. To make the cake batter, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well.
    5. Whisk coconut milk , apple sauce and vanilla together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended.
    6. Whisk the cider vinegar into the batter.
    7. Transfer the cake batter to prepared pan.
    8. Pour the cream cheese mixture over that (making sure you do it evenly and not just in one spot, I recommend pouring it in lines across the batter).
    9. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cream cheese.
    10. Place in the oven, and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes.
    11. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

     

    If you would rather use coconut sugar or even just granulated sugar for this, either will work in place of the maple sugar.

    This cake can be made gluten free by swapping out the whole wheat pastry flour for Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour (this is a brand I have used before and have tested it in cakes with great results).

  • Individual Vegan Apple Pies

    Individual Vegan Apple Pies

    I have been enjoying lots of apples lately since we went to the apple orchard a couple of weekends ago.  Nothing beats a fresh Minnesota apple as far as I am concerned, especially for apple pie!  I made some last week, because I have been craving it and finally had the time.  My Mom always made the best apple pie when I was little.  People would always ask her to bring it to gatherings or Holidays like Thanksgiving.  She didn’t make her own pie crust usually, she used the store bought, but what made it so good were the Haralson apples and dash of lemon juice in the filling plus not as much sugar as most people use.  It was the most balanced apple pie ever with a little bit of tartness plus sweet from the apples.

    I make my apple pies the same way now.  Plenty of apple flavor.  It absolutely matters what type of apples you put into the pie you make.  I would recommend ones that taste good to you before you bake them.  If you use really mild flavored ones the pie might come out somewhat bland.  One time we had to use these frozen ones to make something at work and I think they were red delicious apples (my least favorite) and they needed a lot of doctoring up.

    I decided to make two smaller pies, because I wanted to share one and keep one for myself.  It is kind of fun after all to have your own little dessert!  I got two servings out of it though.  I made my classic pie crust, with vegan butter as opposed to coconut oil for a more pliable crust to work with for a double crust pie.  I admit I tend to make crumble top pies more because they are a little less fussy, but I felt like cutting cute shapes out of the dough this time.

    My kitchen smelled amazing while it was baking, and I could not wait to try it!  The pie turned out sooo good! I served it warm with coconut milk ice cream.  If you just want a really good classic apple pie, give this one a try!

    Individual Vegan Apple Pies
    Makes two 4 inch inch deep dish pies

    Filling:

    • 4 cups Haralson (or other tart sweet apples) cut into 3/4 inch cubes
    • 1/4 cup maple sugar (or brown sugar)
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • juice of one lemon
    • a pinch of sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour

     

    Crust:

    • 2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 3/4 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks (pressed into the measuring cup), or your favorite vegan butter to bake with
    • about 6-12 Tbsp cold water

     

    Topping:

    • thick coconut milk
    • maple sugar

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven tp 400F degrees.
    2. To make the filling, combine the apples, maple syrup, and cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice, sea salt and flour in a bowl.
    3. To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and spices. Cut in Earth Balance with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in  just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.
    4. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each out into a 5 inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, then use the paper to help you transfer two of them to two 4 inch deep dish pie plates.  Pour the apples into the pies, cut a hole in the remaining dough circles right in the center with a cookie cutter, then place them on top of the pies.  Pinch the edges down to seal them, and trim off the excess (you can roll this out and create cute shapes for the top of the pie). Flute the edges.
    5. Brush the pie with a little coconut milk, top with any extra dough shapes if you want to decorate it, and brush those with a little milk too.  Sprinkle with maple sugar, and place on a baking sheet.  Prick the crust a few times with a fork, and place it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then check to see if the top is getting too brown, if it is tent with foil and place back in the oven until the pie is bubbling about another 15 minutes.
    6. Remove from the oven to a wire rack.
    7. Allow to cool completely before serving.

     

    *If you want to make this 1 8 inch pie instead of the two smaller pies, roll the dough into 2 9 inch circles instead of 4 and proceed the same with the recipe, just keeping in mind it might take about 15-20 minutes longer to bake.

    *If you want to make this gluten free  swap the whole wheat pastry flour for Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour, or your favorite GF flour.

  • Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes

    Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes

    The weather has been fabulous here lately, and I have really enjoyed getting out and enjoying the fall colors and activities.  Last weekend we went for a hike along the St. Croix and then made a stop at Pleasant Valley Orchard to do some apple picking.  I normally do this earlier in the season but it has been a hectic year so we waited until later.  But it worked out because the drive was lovely!  It was the perfect day to be at the orchard, nice and sunny and moderate temperatures.

    Last year when we went it was a chilly rainy day so we felt lucky this year!  We picked a bunch of honeycrisp and haralson apples, which was what was available that day and they happen to be our favorites.  They were developed here in Minnesota, so maybe I am biased, but they are also the perfect balance of tart and sweet which makes them perfect for baking with!

    I decided to make some apple pie cupcakes with them.  I recently saw a non vegan recipe for some and  decided I needed to make my own.  I haven’t made cupcakes in a while, and filled cupcakes sounded even better.  Anything apple right now makes me happy!  It is a little longer process since you have to make the filling and not just a frosting but it is totally worth it and the perfect day off activity if you feel like spending time in the kitchen.

    For these, I used my vanilla cake base made with a bit of applesauce.  You don’t need to buy applesauce either, just take one of your apples, cut it into pieces and throw it in the blender until it is finely pureed. That is what I do!  This cake batter is really easy to make too, no fussy instructions with that, just mix, pour into the tins and bake! For the filling I just cut the apples small and cooked them with a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon and they were perfect!

    Lastly the cupcakes needed a cream cheese style frosting because I love that with apples or on an apple cake!  I used a combination of coconut cream and cashew butter to make it nice and rich tasting.  These turned out sooo good!  The apple filling tasted just like apple pie and it was perfect with the soft sweet cake and dreamy cream cheese frosting!  If you are looking for an apple baking project, definitely give these a try!

    Vegan Apple Pie Cupcakes
    Makes 8

    Ingredients:

    Cake:

    • 3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 3/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup maple sugar
    • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (the thick kind, I prefer Thai Kitchen brand) at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup apple sauce
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 Tbsp cider vinegar

     

    Filling:

    • 2 small tart sweet organic apples (such as honeycrisp), diced into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 2 tsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp cornstarch

     

    Frosting:

    • 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk (you want to use a brand that is at least 3/4 of the can thick cream or it will not work for this recipe, I like Thai Kitchen brand)
    • 1/4 cup cashew butter
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp melted coconut butter (not coconut oil), warmed to liquid

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and position rack in center of oven.
    2. Oil 8 muffin tins or line them with paper liners.
    3. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well.
    4. Whisk coconut milk , apple sauce and vanilla together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended.
    5. Whisk the cider vinegar into the batter.
    6. Transfer the cake batter to prepared tins.
    7. Place in the oven, and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, about 17-20 minutes.
    8. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
    9. Meanwhile to make the apples, combine the apples, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a pot and cook over medium heat until the apples have softened, about 15 minutes.  Mix together the lemon juice and cornstarch and cook until the sauce around the apples thickens.  Let cool.
    10. Use a teaspoon to scoop out about a large teaspoon of cake from the middle of each cupcake, and fill with the cooked apples.
    11. To make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.  Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer until the consistency of stiffly whipped cream (about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it has gotten).  Once it is ready place in the refrigerator until ready to frost.
    12. When ready to assemble, place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe over the cupcakes.
    13. Enjoy! Refrigerate cupcakes if you have leftovers.

    Cupcakes keeps stored in the refrigerator, covered for up to 1 week.

    Notes:

    If you would rather use coconut sugar or even just granulated sugar for this, either will work in place of the maple sugar.

    This cake can be made gluten free by swapping out the whole wheat pastry flour for Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour (this is a brand I have used before and have tested it in cakes with great results).

  • Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 

    Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 

       
    I finally got my hands on some Minnesota grown apples.  Although I love to just eat them, I really wanted to bake something with them as well. An apple pie sounded good, but then I also love crust-less things with a topping like an apple cobbler or apple crisp.  I went with the cobbler, because I saw a caramel apple cobbler on Pinterest that wasn’t vegan but sounded really good.  Plus it is a bit easier to make than a whole pie and perfect for two people to enjoy!
    I don’t think I have even made a cobbler since last year!  I love them though!  The bubbly fruit underneath those tender flakey biscuits!  When making apple pies, cobblers and crisps, it is important to me to get a good balance of tart and sweet with the apples.  Which is why I like to use sweet tart apples like honeycrisp or haralson, and add a touch of lemon juice.  The type of apples you use in a pie makes all the difference though.  If you have some bland apples, you will need to add a little more lemon juice and sweetener.
    I didn’t need much sweetener for mine, because the apples were already pretty sweet.  For my biscuits I actually use my scone recipe for the dough.  Because they are rich, flakey and just the right amount of sweet.  I do the method of baking the fruit for a while by itself until it is bubbly then add the biscuits at the end of the baking so that they don’t get overdone and it works pretty well!
    Lastly when the cobbler was all bubbly and lovely coming from the oven I decided it needed some quick maple caramel so I topped it off with that.  It turned out sooo good!  This cobbler was totally heavenly! I served it warm with some coconut milk ice cream and it was crave worthy!
    Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 
    Serves 4
    Ingredients:

    Fruit:

    • 3 cups organic sweet tart apples (such as honey crisp or pink lady), cut into chunks
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Biscuit topping:

    • 1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Caramel:

    • 2 Tbsp pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup (or more if you need to thin it out more)
    • pinch sea salt

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    2. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    3. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
    4. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    5. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven.
    6. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm.
    7. Mix together the maple syrup and pecan butter for the caramel, and drizzle it over the top of the cobbler.
    8. Top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
  • Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Pie Bars

    Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Pie Bars

    I know it isn’t technically fall yet, but the weather has been feeling more like fall, and I am super excited about enjoying all of the delicious fall foods.  Especially the sweet ones involving pumpkin apples and spices.  I am looking forward to visiting the apple orchards soon!  I was gifted some apples and was in the mood for apple pie, but decided to make some apple pie bars instead because they can be shared more easily.  Also, I have been wanting to try making some apple cream cheese bars since last year.  I have made an apple cream cheese pie before, but I have been meaning to try making it in bar form.

    I decided to make these oil free, and use pecan butter instead of coconut oil in the crust and topping. It is one of the richest nut butters, so it works just as well plus gives these bars a nutty flavor. I make my own in a high speed blender.  If you don’t have access to it don’t worry you can use almond butter instead (or see the bottom for a coconut oil variation if oil free isn’t your thing).  The apples in the filling werea local variety, the Haralson, so they were nice and tart and perfect for apple pie! I prefer the tart ones in baked desserts, because then once you add the sugar the flavor is nicely balanced.

    Raw Guru recently sent me some of their Dastony raw cashew butter and I knew it would be perfect in the cream cheese layer of the bars.  I combined it with coconut cream and maple syrup for a rich and delicious tasting vegan cream cheese that set up nicely once baked thanks to the cornstarch I added.  Lastly I topped the bars off with a crunchy oat streusel topping.  They smelled sooo delicious while baking!

    I could not wait to try them!  They were sooo good!  They had a crunchy buttery tasting crust, the cream cheese layer was smooth and rich, a perfect partner for the sweet tart cinnamon scented apples and the crispy streusel on top! My taste testers loved them as well!  If you are in the mood for apple pie, give these babies a try! They are completely heavenly!  Like the best apple pie ever but in bar form!

    Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Pie Bars
    Makes 16

    Crust:

    • 1/2 cup pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*

     

    Cream Cheese Filling:

    • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut cream (the thick part from the top of a chilled can)
    • 1/2 cup Dastony raw cashew butter
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Filling:

    • 3 medium or 4 small apples, sliced 1/4 inch thick
    • 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

     

    Topping:

    • 1 cup gluten free old fashioned oats
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 3 Tbsp pecan butter or almond butter

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment.
    2. Mix together the crust ingredients, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until set.
    3. To make the cream cheese, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, then pour over the crust.
    4. Mix together the apple filling and arrange over the cream cheese layer so that the apples are flat.
    5. Mix together the streusel filling in a bowl, and scrunch together with hands until it clumps up.  Sprinkle over the apples.
    6. Place in the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes until the streusel is lightly browned and apples are tender.  Note, since some ovens vary in temperature, check the bars after about 30 minutes and if they are starting to get too dark, tent them with foil so that they do not burn.
    7. Once the bars have finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.
    8. When the bars are cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

    *Notes:

    If you would like to make these gluten free, you can swap in Bob’s Red Mill GF baking flour (or your favorite similar flour, I just have used this brand and know it works well) for the whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe 1:1.

    If you would like these bars to be a little more rich, you can use coconut oil in the crust and crumble portions of this recipe in place of the pecan butter.

     

  • Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake

    Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake

    I made a visit to a local apple orchard a few weekends back, and I still had some apples on hand, so I decided that I had to make something really delicious with them.  Pie sounded good, but you know what sounded even better?  A cheesecake with the elements of apple pie included.  A caramel apple cheesecake!  I had made one years ago, back when I was completely raw vegan, and it was really good, but I have been wanting to make a non-raw version for a while now.  Not that it wasn’t delicious, but I know not everyone wants to crack open Thai coconuts to make a cheesecake, and I felt that having cooked apples included in it and a crunchy streusel on top would make it even better.

    For my cheesecakes I usually make a crust involving oats and dates, and although it tastes good, I just want it a bit more crispy sometimes so I decided to try something new with this one. Plus, I figured the topping could double as a crust, because they would both have oats and I wanted them both crunchy.  So I made sort of a granola to solve the non-crunchy crust problem and it worked perfect!  I just used a mixture similar to what I use in my oil free granola recipe and it was super delicious even before it was turned into crust and topping.

    For the filling, I used my classic vanilla cheesecake filling, including an ingredient some may find odd, but it really works here.  Chickpeas!  I use them in place of raw cashews in my cheesecakes because then the cheesecake isn’t as heavy (but still rich tasting), and they are a lot cheaper.  Don’t worry you can not taste them at all, since they are a pretty neutral flavor they blend right in with everything else.  My taste testers were shocked to find out that they were in there since it tasted just like traditional cheesecake filling. I cooked the apples on the stove with a bit of maple sugar and spices and they were flavorful and delicious even before I assembled the cake.

    Lets not forget the caramel though. I made a gooey date caramel to swirl into the cake and drizzle on top and it was hard to stop tasting.  I could not wait to try the finished cake!  Sadly I had to wait until the next day to try it since I was making it after work at night.  But it was well worth the wait!  It was rich and creamy, the mellow vanilla cheesecake perfect with the sweet tart apples and crunchy cinnamony crust and crumble on top!  Plus the gooey date caramel of course!   Soooo good! If you have apples on hand, you know what to make!

    Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake
    Makes one 6 inch cake

    Crust and topping:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic rolled oats
    • 1/4 cup almond butter, divided
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water first, then drain very well before using.)

     

    Apples:

    • 4 medium tart sweet organic apples (such as honeycrisp), diced into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp cornstarch

     

    Caramel:

    • 1 1/4 cups soft, pitted medjool dates (of not soft, soak in filtered water 30 minutes and drain before using)
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup filtered water (or as needed
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt

     

    Filling:

    • 1 cup full fat coconut cream (I used the thick part of a can of Thai Kitchen organic full fat coconut milk*)
    • 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas*
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter (NOT OIL), warmed to liquid

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a bowl, combine the oats, 3 Tbsp almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt, and scrunch together with your hands until it is all coated. Spread out on the prepared pan, and bake for about 20-25 minutes until it is starting to brown and crunchy.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
    3. Line the bottom of a 6 inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
    4. To make the crust, place 1 cup of the oats, the dates and 1 Tbsp almond butter in a food processor, and process until crumbs and starting to hold together. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside in the freezer.
    5. To make the apples, combine the apples, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a pot and cook over medium heat until the apples have softened, about 15 minutes.  Mix together the lemon juice and cornstarch and cook until the sauce around the apples thickens.  Let cool.
    6. To make the caramel, blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth (adding a little more water a very small amount at a time if needed to create a thick but pour-able consistency.
    7. To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
    8. To assemble the cheesecake, pour half the filling over the crust, then drop some of the caramel by the Tbsp over it, and swirl with a knife.  Scatter half the apple mixture over that, then pour the remaining filling over them.  Drop some more of the caramel on top of the cake and swirl with a knife (being careful not to go too deep so you don’t disturb the apple layer in the middle).
    9. Place cheesecake in the freezer until it is set for about 4 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator if you are not in a hurry).
    10. Remove from the freezer and un-mold.
    11. Scatter the remaining apples over the top, then top off with even more of the oat mixture.  Drizzle more caramel over the top and serve!

    This cake keeps for 1 week in a container in the refrigerator.

    *I use chickpeas in this, and no you can not taste them, they simply give it a nice smooth texture.  If you prefer cashews though, soaked cashews will work in place of them if you do not care for the chickpeas.

    *I use Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk.  If you are using a different brand, just make sure it is the thick type, 2/3 of the can at least should be very thick.

  • Vegan Apple Streusel Muffins

    Vegan Apple Streusel Muffins

    I made apple scones earlier last week, and when I still had apples on hand, I decided that I needed to make some more apple goodies. I usually make apple crisps and apple pies and that sort of thing but this time muffins sounded good. I don’t make them often after all, and I was craving some. Also, I don’t think I have made apple muffins before. I was dreaming up some fragrantly spiced, sweet muffins packed with apple flavor and topped off with a crunchy streusel. I needed to make that happen.

    So, I blended up a few of my apples into some apple sauce, and used those for most of the wet ingredients in the muffins. They were sweet tart apples, so the flavor was perfect. I also added in some almond butter and a flax egg, and they provided just enough richness that you would never know these are oil free. Also, I added plenty of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and the spices went beautifully with the apple. I did not make these gluten free, because I had whole wheat pastry flour on hand but if you need to make them gluten free, I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour. I have used it in the past swapped with the regular flour and it works perfect!

    Lastly I topped them off with a crunchy oat streusel, because it is one of my all time favorite things especially on things that are spiced, and to top off muffins or a coffeecake. They smelled amazing while baking. Like that smell of the cinnamon apple doughnuts that wafts through the air at the apple orchard. I could not wait to try one! They were super delicious! Soft and sweet with a tender not heavy crumb and the lovely scent of fall spices.

    The streusel was crispy and the perfect pairing with it. I shared some with my Mom and she said they were some of the best muffins she ever had. That is a huge compliment considering she is not a muffin person usually. If you have apples or apple sauce on hand, definitely give these a try! They would be the perfect thing to bake on a cool fall morning and we are not far off from that!

    Apple Streusel Muffins

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup coconut sugar
    • 3/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 cup organic apple sauce
    • 1 ½ Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 4 ½ Tbsp filtered water
    • 1 1/4 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 tsp ground ginger
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • ½ tsp sea salt
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1/8 tsp baking powder

     

    Struesel:

    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp organic rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1/4 cup almond butter

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line 16 muffin tins with liners.
    2. Whisk together the coconut sugar, apple, almond butter and flax mixture in a large bowl.
    3. Add the flour, spices, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk until smooth.
    4. Spoon into the muffin tins.
    5. Mix the streusel ingredients together with your fingers until they start to clump together. Sprinkle over the muffins.
    6. Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
    7. Let cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before enjoying.
  • Vegan Maple Apple Scones

    Vegan Maple Apple Scones

    The deli I have worked at for over 13 years has always made scones. Everyone says that they are the best scones around, and I have to agree, because before I went vegan 7 years ago had tried them. They were tender and flakey, just the right amount of sweetness, and not dry and heavy at all. I learned how to make them from the baker, then came up with my own veganized recipe at home years later. They tasted just as good.

    Recently, in the last few months, I got the go ahead to start making some vegan scones at work since we are having a higher demand for plant based products. I couldn’t have been more thrilled! It makes me happy that more people are going vegan, and wanting more products. It is kind of fun to be able to bake at work too, since I usually just make the salads and vegan hot bar entrees. You would think I would get sick of it with blogging but I like variety and it is different there than at home.

    I was making them and smelling them last week (since my work station is next to the baked goods cooling rack as well), and I said to myself, I need to make some at home later. I had a bunch of apples that I had been gifted, so apple scones it was! It honestly makes me so happy that we are into apple season (almost) and on the edge of fall, my favorite time of the year!

    These apple scones turned out super delicious! I flavored them with a bit of maple and spice and they smelled amazing as they baked and tasted even better. They are so good served while slightly warm from the oven with a cup of tea! If you have apples on hand, give these a try!

    Vegan Maple Apple Scones
    Makes 8

    Ingredients:

    • 2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour*
    • 1/2 cup pecan meal* or almond meal
    • 1/2 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
    • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup solid virgin coconut oil, cut into chunks (if your house is above 65F degrees, chill it first)
    • 1 cup cold full fat organic canned coconut milk (whisked until smooth if chunky)
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp maple extract (optional)
    • 1 1/2 cups tart sweet apples (such as honeycrisp) cut into small chunks
    • coconut milk for topping (if needed)
    • maple sugar or coconut sugar for sprinkling

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees with the rack set at the middle position.
    2. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
    3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla into the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not over-mix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy.
    4. Fold in apples until evenly distributed.
    5. Place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into 8 triangles.
    6. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary.
    7. Brush the tops lightly with the coconut milk (only if they seem dry, you want the sugar to stick), and sprinkle with coconut sugar.
    8. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown (after about 15 minutes you may need to reshape with 2 bench scrapers if the scones are spreading, then place back in the oven).
    9. Cool on a wire rack.
    10. Enjoy!

    *If you prefer to make these gluten free, you can swap the whole wheat pastry flour for an all purpose baking flour like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking flour (I have tried this brand with success).

    *For the pecan meal, blend about 3/4 cup pecans in a blender or food processor just until ground finely, but not too long or they will become butter. This should give you enough for the recipe.

  • Baked Stuffed Apples with Cinnamon Ice Cream

    Baked Stuffed Apples with Cinnamon Ice Cream

    Apple pie may be the most popular apple dessert, but you know what else is delicious? Baked apples.  Not only that, they are a little bit lighter option with all of the same delicious apple flavor.  There was a time back in my early 20s that I made baked apples and pears all the time all Fall and Winter long because I enjoyed them so much.  Not only that, I appreciated that it was a healthier but still satisfying dessert.  Sometimes I would stuff them with things, and sometimes I would just bake them and then fill them with ice cream or chevre. All three of the variations were delicious.  I was watching a movie last weekend and they were talking about making baked apples and I started craving some.  Then I realized I haven’t actually made any for at least 6 years and remembered how good they used to be.  I decided that I needed to get on making some.  They are really easy and not hard to make after all.  So much easier than pie.

    So I picked up some giant organic honeycrisp apples at work that were on sale.  I was super excited since I haven’t had these in a while.  I used to just stuff them with walnuts and maple syrup, maybe some crasins, but I wanted a less heavy filling so I decided to make a oat streusel to stuff them with.  I nave never actually stuffed apples with streusel before, I usually just put it on top of pie, but I thought it would be delicious as a stuffing as well.  I can never resist streusel.  I did add a few pecans to it as well for a little more crunch. If you wanted to make a gluten free version of this, you could just swap out the oats for quinoa flakes, and the whole wheat flour for gluten free all purpose flour.  I also drizzled a little maple onto the apples  and it became kind of a thick caramel sauce in the pan that I spooned over them once they were baked.

    They smelled amazing!  They baked up to tender perfection and I couldn’t wait to try them!  I made a cinnamon ice cream the day before to serve with them also because I love cool creamy ice cream with warm fruit desserts.  It was so good together!  The sweet crunchy streusel was perfect with the tender cinnamon scented apples and rich ice cream! If you have apples on hand, definitely give these a try!

    Baked Stuffed Apples with Cinnamon Ice Cream
    Makes 3

    Apples:

    • 3 large organic honeycrisp or other sweet apples
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

     

    Filling:

    • 3 Tbsp organic rolled rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 Tbsp maple sugar
    • 1 Tbsp chopped pecans
    • 1 Tbsp pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

     

    Caramel:

    • 3 Tbsp pecan butter
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup

     

    Cinnamon Ice Cream for serving (recipe follows)

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and oil a pie dish.
    2. Core the apples (but not all the way to the bottom), and scoop out a couple Tbsp of flesh from the cavity so that you have a place to put your stuffing.  Place the apples in the pie dish.
    3. Mix together the maple syrup and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and drizzle over the apples (it is ok if it goes to the bottom of the pan, it makes a nice caramel while they bake).
    4. Mix together the filling in a bowl, scrunching it together with your hands until larger crumbs of filling are formed.
    5. Spoon the filling into the apples, and press it in but leave the top a little mounded.
    6. Tent with foil, and place in the oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes uncovered, then remove the foil and bake until the topping has lightly browned and the apples are tender.  Remove from the oven, and spoon the sauce at the bottom of the pan over the apples.   Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
    7. Meanwhile, to make the caramel, whisk together the pecan butter and maple syrup until smooth.  Drizzle over each apple.
    8. Serve warm with the cinnamon ice cream!

     

    Vegan Cinnamon Ice Cream
    Makes about 3 cups

    Ingredients:

    • 1 15 oz can organic full fat coconut milk
    • 1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
    • ½ cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    1. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
    2. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions.
    3. Once the ice cream has finished churning, pour it into a freezer safe container with a lid.
    4. Place the lid on, place in the freezer and freeze for about 4 hours or until firm enough to scoop. Enjoy!

     

    *Note, if you do not have an ice cream maker you may also freeze it this way. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer. Whisk once every half hour until it has frozen to the consistency of soft serve. Then continue to pour into your freezer safe container as the above directions state.

    *If your ice cream gets hard after freezing, let sit out about 15-20 minutes before scooping.

     

  • Autumn Apple Fig Salad with Lemon Maple Tahini Dressing

    Autumn Apple Fig Salad with Lemon Maple Tahini Dressing

    I still haven’t been to an apple orchard yet this year.  Maybe next weekend.  But I have bought some amazing local apples at the grocery store.  The Honeycrisp apples are still my favorite.  The local ones are the best though, and taste slightly different than the ones that are flown in from elsewhere.  Not only do I enjoy using them in desserts like a really good apple pie, I love them in savory things like salads as well.  Since I had an abundance of apples I had bought last weekend, I decided to use one in a salad.  Now when I make salads, I like them to be substantial.  None of this just greens with a dressing stuff that doesn’t fill you up.  You know, like the ones you get in a restaurant that has no vegan entrees that you have to order because it is all that you can possibly get from the menu that won’t have animal products in it?  Or the ones that people who don’t know much about the vegan diet think that we all eat.  I like lots of delicious add ins.  I was at a restaurant up in Duluth (MN), Canal Park Brewery  with my family last weekend, and I ordered a salad and I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only was it large, it was filled with delicious stuff.  Berries, and beets, and pecans, and cranberries, fresh greens, and some grilled portabello mushroom (that I ordered extra to top it because it sounded good). It was not a wimpy salad.  It was a meal.  Now that is how I like my salads!

    So this salad is substantial too.  I gave it an arugula base, because it is my favorite type of greens, and I have it on hand at all times. It has the apples of course, but I added figs and cranberries as well.  Yes, I know it is kind of a sweet salad, but trust me on this it is so good.  I love dried figs, they have such a satisfying chewy texture and delicious flavor.  I also added in some Sunbiotics probiotic truffle almonds that Raw Guru sent me.  That might sound odd in combination with the other ingredients, but these almonds are amazing.  Not chocolate truffle by the way, truffle as in the expensive mushrooms that give things a delicious flavor.

    The salad needed a good dressing as well, and I get a little tired of vinaigrettes sometimes so I went for my favorite type of dressing a creamy nut/seed butter dressing. Tahini dressing has always been one of my favorites, so I used some Dastony tahini whisked together with some lemon juice and maple syrup to make a delicious dressing.  I usually make it very savory with just the lemon juice and a little cumin.  But since this salad has fruit I decided to add the sweet maple syrup instead.  I wasn’t sure how it would taste, but it was so good! It was perfect with the sweet fruit and peppery arugula on the salad! If you like big salads too, and are in the mood for something with apples, give this a try!

    Autumn Apple Fig Salad with Lemon Maple Tahini Dressing
    Serves 2

    Ingredients:

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine the arugula, apple, figs, almonds, and cranberries in a bowl, and toss until combined.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, and sea salt, along with water if needed if it seems to thick to pour (you want it thick enough to coat your salad, but not so thick that it stays in clumps).
    3. Pour some of the dressing on the salad and toss to coat. Then divide between plates and drizzle a little more dressing on the salad.  Serve!
  • Vegan Snickerdoodle Crepes with Caramelized Apples 

    Vegan Snickerdoodle Crepes with Caramelized Apples 

    I had never tasted a snickerdoodle cookie until I was about 16 years old.  Surprising I know, I had tried most of the other classics, like chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal, spice cookies, almond cookies etc.  But never the snickerdoodle. I tried one for the first time at a little coffee shop at a ski lodge up north I was at for a Nordic skiing training trip.  My friend  wanted to split one and I wasn’t about to say no to a cookie!  It was so delicious!  Like the sugar cookies that I grew up eating, but better thanks to the little sprinkle of cinnamon along with the sugar.  Perfect for Fall and Winter seasons when I am wanting cinnamon and spice.  After that I decided that I liked snickerdoodles and even made some of my own from time to time.  Cinnamon sugar is a great topping for things after all.  If you didn’t grow up with your Mom making you cinnamon sugar toast once in a while you have been deprived of something delicious.  Eric always asks me to make cinnamon sugar crepes, so I thought why not make some snickerdoodle crepes this week.  It is now Fall after all, and they just sounded good.   But me trying to always sneak fruits and veggies into everything decided that they needed an apple filling as well.

    I had bought 8 lbs of apples for some wine, but didn’t need them all, so I was looking for ways to use them in something delicious.  As excited as I was about the crepes, I was a little apprehensive because the last time I tried to make crepes about a month ago, they stuck to the pan, were all gummy and didn’t turn out.  I wasn’t sure why, and most likely it was because I forgot an ingredient or mis-measured or something but since I hate throwing things out, it made me sad.  So I prayed that these would turn out.  Lucky for me, they came out perfect this time!  This is a pretty simple crepe recipe that you just whisk all together and go for it, so it comes together fast!  I made them gluten free and nut free as well, because I know that is important to a lot of you and it was easy enough to make them that way.  They smelled amazing while cooking.  I didn’t just sprinkle the cinnamon on top, I put a little in the crepes as well, so the aromas of vanilla and cinnamon were in the air as they cooked.

    After they were done, I made some quick maple caramelized apples to fill them with. It was all super delicious once assembled and the cinnamon sugar was sprinkled on top!  If you wanted to go in more of a dessert direction with these, you could also serve them with coconut whipped cream warm with ice cream!  These would make the perfect weekend brunch treat, but of course don’t limit yourself to that, I won’t judge if you make them for dinner.

    Vegan Snickerdoodle Crepes with Caramelized Apples 

    Crepes:

    • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
    • 3/4 cup filtered water
    • 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
    • 3 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
    • 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Apples:

    • 2 medium organic sweet tart apples (honeycrisp or pink lady are good options), sliced
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

     

    Topping:

    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp cinnamon

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the crepes, mix together the flax seed and water in a bowl, and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes until it is the consistency of egg whites.
    2. Meanwhile, whisk together the coconut sugar, flour, and sea salt in a bowl, then whisk in the coconut oil. Slowly whisk in the milk little by little to make sure the mixture stays free of lumps. Next, whisk in the vanilla, followed by the flax mixture you had set aside.
    3. Heat a non-stick ceramic 6 inch pan over medium heat, then pour in 1/3 cup batter, and swirl the pan so that it spreads out to the edges.  Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, then flip over and cook the second side. Once the crepe is done, set aside on a plate.  Repeat with the remaining batter, separating the crepes with parchment paper on the plate so that they don’t stick together.
    4. To make the apples, place them in the same pan you cooked the crepes in (wipe it out if necessary), and add the apples, maple syrup and cinnamon.  Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, and the maple syrup has thickened.  Remove from heat.
    5. To serve the crepes, spoon some of the apples into the middle of each, fold them up, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping mixture.
    6. Enjoy!
  • Vegan Maple Brandy Apple Hand Pies 

    Vegan Maple Brandy Apple Hand Pies 

    I am so ready for Fall.  It was still 90F degrees here this weekend, and it still feels like Summer, but you can tell that Fall is starting to creep in.  Some of the trees are just starting to change color or drop their leaves and it has been cooler at night.  There is nothing like waking up to a cool morning and going for a run with the crunchy leaves on the ground and aroma of Fall in the air.  I can’t wait for that. Also, wearing cozy clothes like flannels and sweaters and drinking hot toddies and baking apple pies.  It is my favorite season in case you can’t tell.  Just one more week and it will technically be here.  But I am getting started early with the baking.  The apples are already really amazing right now, so I decided that apple pie was in order.  I haven’t made it out to the apple orchard to get my bag of Haralson apples, my favorite for baking, but I had some delicious honeycrisps on hand so that is what I went with. They are the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and hold up well, so they are perfect for using in pies.

    I love a good mile high apple pie loaded up with filling, but I decided to go with cute little hand pies this time so I could easily share them.  Also, I like to switch up flavors in my desserts, so I decided to give these a little brandy and maple to make them extra good instead of just classic apple pie. I didn’t think that the difference would be all that noticeable, but it totally was!  The brandy is so good with the apples, and of course you probably already know that maple is amazing with them too so it was all together a heavenly combination! I made these a little different than most people make hand pies, and cooked the filling first before stuffing it into the dough.  That way you don’t have to bake them as long (it is only about 30 minutes baking time), and you know that the inside is done when the crust is browned.  I find that sometimes it gets way too dark by the time the filling is cooked so this eliminates that.

    They smelled so incredibly good while baking!  I love the heavenly aroma of apple pie, it reminds me of when my Mom used to make apple pie or crisp when I was little.  She always made the best pies!  Now I share my pies with her, because I know they are one of her favorites too. These hand pies turned out so good!  The filling was gooey, sweet and that scent of brandy and maple just put it over the top!  The crusts were tender and rich, and I had drizzled a maple brandy glaze over them that made them extra good.  If you have apples on hand, give these a try!  If you don’t wish to make them gluten free, just swap out the gluten free AP flour for organic whole wheat pastry flour.

    Vegan Maple Brandy Apple Hand Pies 
    Makes 6

    Crust:

     

    Filling:

    • 4 cups organic sweet apples (such as honeycrisp) cut into small 1/2 inch cubes
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp brandy (make sure it is vegan on Barnivore)
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice)

     

    Glaze:

    • 3 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 Tbsp brandy
    • pinch sea salt
    • 3-4 Tbsp filtered water or as needed

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make filling, heat the apples, maple syrup, brandy and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook them until they are very soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the vanilla, and cornstarch and lemon juice mixture and cook until thickened.  Remove from heat, and set aside and let cool completely before using with the pastry (you don’t want it too warm or it will make the crusts melt too much).
    2. To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and spices. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.
    3. Roll out into a large rectangle and cut into 12 squares or rectangles.  Chill briefly in the refrigerator if too soft before assembling.  You want the dough a little pliable so you don’t want to chill it more than a few minutes, but not so warm that it will break (temperature is key to the success of this dough). Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
    4. To assemble, place about 3 Tbsp apple filling mixture in the middle of half of the dough rectangles (leaving a boarder so you can attach the dough at the sides). Cover with the remaining pieces of dough (I used a small spatula to carefully move them), pressing the edges and crimping with a fork or the edge of something with a flat edge, like a spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes until the crusts are starting to brown lightly. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack until warm.
    5. Whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth (adding more water if too thick, you want it to be pour-able). Spoon some of the glaze over each pie, and smooth it out to cover the top. Let set before serving.
  • Vegan Caramel Apple Pancakes

    Vegan Caramel Apple Pancakes

    As far as I am concerned, last weekend was the perfect Fall weekend here in Minnesota.  Cool and 40F degrees in the AM, which is perfect for running through the crunchy leaves (one of my favorite parts of fall), and 70F degrees and sunny in the afternoon, which is ideal weather for visiting the local apple orchard.  Which is exactly what I decided to do!  Eric and I hit up a local new winery, 7 Vines Vineyard for their grand opening first, because it was close to the apple orchard that we were going to go to, and why not enjoy some wine AND apples.  On the way to the winery, we saw a giant line of cars that was about a mile long trying to get into the apple orchard, so we decided that we should probably go to a different one on the way back.  I am one of those people who really can’t stand crowds, and did not want to wait in line an hour to get in.  Luckily, the winery was not as packed but still busy, and we got to enjoy some delicious red wines.  I know there are delicious wines from all over the world, but I like to try and support local businesses.  Plus, nothing beats sipping your wine with a view of the vineyard, especially on a day like that where the weather is perfect.  So, we ended up going to another smaller apple orchard, Victoria Valley Orchard on the way back and not the one with the traffic jam, and I was happy I did.  It is actually right up the street from where I work, so very convenient location for me to visit, and it is family owned.  Their apples are just as good as the other larger orchards, but you don’t have to fight the crowds.  We even ran into a flock of turkeys in there, which were probably thinking that they were the luckiest birds in the world getting to feast on apples that had fallen to the ground.  It was all in all a good day, and I got my apples so I was happy.

    So what am I going to do with all of the apples?  Well, I wanted to try making an apple wine, and of course I have to make some more apple desserts like pies and crisps. I know you can get apples year round, but when you can get fresh local apples they just always taste so much better. I also decided to make some Vegan Caramel Apple Pancakes.  Because I hadn’t made pancakes in a while and they just sounded so good!  For the batter I used applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg to give them that spiced apple flavor and I planned to top them off with sauteed apples too.  I used almond butter in place of the oil because I actually prefer it.  So, these are actually oil free!  They smelled amazing while cooking, kind of like the apple doughnuts that you smell being made when you visit some of the local apple orchards.  I also made a gooey caramel to top them off instead of just syrup.

    They turned out so good!  This is the perfect lazy Saturday morning treat.  Or dinner treat…since I made them actually in the evening. My Mom made pancakes sometimes for dinner when I was little and I always felt like I was getting something special.  So, I like to carry on that tradition.  If you have a bunch of apples, and are looking for yummy ways to use them, give these delicious pancakes a try!

    Vegan Caramel Apple Pancakes
    Makes 12

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 cup applesauce
    • 3/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup

     

    Topping:

    • 2 large apples, sliced
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Caramel:

    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp filtered water (or as needed)
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Directions:

    1. In a food processor, combine all pancake ingredients and process until just blended, pour into a bowl and set aside.
    2. Meanwhile, to make the apples, place them in a non-stick skillet over medium heat with the maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt and sautee until they are tender and starting to turn translucent (stirring often), about 10 minutes. Set aside.
    3. To cook pancakes, preheat oven to 110 degrees. Heat a large ceramic non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the batter in 1/4 cup amounts (I did 3 at a time, but it depends on your pan), and let cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side until set and starting to brown, then flip with a spatula, and cook another 2-3 minutes.
    4. When cooked, place on a plate and keep warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.
    5. To make the caramel, whisk all ingredients together until smooth (adding a little more water if too thick to pour) and set aside until you are ready to serve.
    6. To serve, stack the pancakes on a plate, top off with the apples and caramel, and enjoy!

    *Note: If you do not own a non-stick pan, you may need to lightly oil your pan to prevent sticking, if you do not mind these not being oil free.

  • 25 Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes

    25 Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes

    I love apple season!  It means that Fall is officially here, and the leaves are starting to turn colors on the trees, the air is getting chilly, and it is time to bake delicious apple pies. I love a good apple pie served warm with some coconut ice cream, it is so cozy and comforting.  Every year I have to make a trip to the apple orchard to get a bag of local apples.  It is fun to wander through the orchard and pick your own.  My favorite for baking are Haralsons.  They are nice and tart, and hold up nice for baking without being crunchy once baked. For eating though, the Honeycrisps win hands down.  Especially the ones grown here in Minnesota.  They were developed here at the U of MN after all.  I don’t limit myself to pies though when it comes to apples, I love apple desserts in general.  I thought you might too, so I thought I would gather up all of my best apple recipes in case you just made a trip to the apple orchard or farmers market and have a large bag of apples you would like to make something delicious with.  Enjoy, and happy Fall you all!

    Vegan Cream Cheese Apple Galette

    Raw Chipotle Caramel Apple Chocolate Cups

    Vegan Caramel Apple Bars

    Raw Spicy Sweet Apple Crisp

    Raw Apple Thyme Crumble Tart

    Vegan Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

    Almond Joy Caramel Apples 

    Raw Apple Spice Filled Doughnuts

    Mini Vegan Apple Maple Cheesecakes

    Raw Apple Crumble Ice Cream 

    Vegan Spiced Apple Crisp in a Jar

    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    Vegan Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding Cake

    Vegan Apple Pie Cookies 

    Vegan Crabapple Rustic Tart With Gingerbread Rye Crust

    Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Coffeecake

    Raw Caramel Apple Cheesecake

    Vegan Apple Maple Walnut Cake

    Vegan Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies

    Vegan Hazelnut Crusted Apple Pie 

    Vegan Caramel Apple Galette

    Vegan Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy

    Vegan Apple Streusel Doughnuts

    Vegan Pumpkin Apple Shortcakes

    Vegan Dutch Apple Cream Cheese Pie

  • Vegan Caramel Apple Pie Bars

    Vegan Caramel Apple Pie Bars

     

    The leaves are just barely starting to change colors on the trees, there is a slight chill in the air, and you can smell the aroma of bonfires in the evenings.  Fall is definitely here!  I am bringing out my cozy warm clothes, relishing in being able to run in chilly morning air with beautiful sunrises, and baking up a storm.  Because this is my favorite season to bake.  I haven’t made it to the apple orchard yet, maybe next weekend.  But I have bought some delicious local apples at the grocery store I work in the deli at.  I couldn’t resist.  I mean, there is nothing like biting into a local apple full of flavor that was just picked recently and hasn’t traveled half way around the world to get to you.  So, I had a big bag of them, and I have been making all things apple.  I have made a couple pies, an apple spice cake and some delicious caramel apple pie bars that I am sharing with you today because they were so delicious!  Actually, my Mom asked me to make her some bars to bring to a party with her friends, and I thought apple pie bars would be just the thing it being Fall and all.

    I used a special ingredient in them that I think you will all enjoy as well, D’vash Date Nectar! I don’t know about you, but I love sweetening things with dates.  They are about as natural as you can get when it comes to sweeteners, and they are the only ingredient in D’vash Date Nectar. The only thing about sweetening with dates the way I normally do is that you have to blend them, but with this, you eliminate that, and it is more concentrated and sweet.  You can use it in place of honey, agave nectar or maple syrup in recipes.  So, I used it in these bars to make them more caramel flavored as well as to make a delicious caramel to drizzle over the top.

    I made a pie crust for the bottom, a sweet apple filling, and topped it off with crunchy oat topping (which is my favorite way to top an apple pie) and the D’vash Date Nectar caramel.  These were so good!  If you would like to buy some D’vash Date nectar for yourself, you can use this special coupon code on their WEBSITE to get a 10% discount: DVASH_FRAGRANTVANILLACAKE

    Not only that, they have free shipping for orders about $20 on their website if you want to stock up and buy a few. Also, they have been kind enough to allow me to give one of their bottles of nectar away, so be sure to enter my giveaway below!

    Vegan Caramel Apple Pie Bars
    Makes 16

    Crust:

    • 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour

     

    Filling:

    • 3 medium or 4 small apples, sliced 1/4 inch thick
    • 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 2 Tbsp D’vash date nectar or maple syrup
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

     

    Topping:

    • 1/2 cup gluten free old fashioned oats
    • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, softened

     

    Caramel:

    • 1/4 cup D’vash date nectar or maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment.
    2. Mix together the crust ingredients, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until set.
    3. Meanwhile, mix together the apple filling and set aside.
    4. Mix together the streusel filling in a bowl, and scrunch together with hands until it clumps up.  Set aside until crust is done.
    5. Remove the crust from the oven and spread the apples out over it (making sure they are all flat and evenly distributed), then sprinkle with the streusel.  Place back in the oven and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes until the streusel is lightly browned and apples are tender.  Note, since some ovens vary in temperature, check the bars after about 45 minutes and if they are starting to get too dark, tent them with foil so that they do not burn.
    6. Once the bars have finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.
    7. When the bars are cool, whisk together all of the caramel ingredients, and drizzle it over them.
    8. Cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Stock up on D’vash Date Nectar with this special coupon code on their WEBSITE to get a 10% discount: DVASH_FRAGRANTVANILLACAKE

  • Vegan Harvest Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Caramel Filling

    Vegan Harvest Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Caramel Filling

    harvest-chocolate-cake-6

    I can think of nothing better than making a big chocolate cake after my long run.  That is not to say I run for cake, but it just sounds really good.  Not immediately after, but like later in the day when I am ready to chill and relax with some cake, wine and my man.  So, after my 10 mile run on Sunday, I made some chocolate cake.  Not just any chocolate cake though, special chocolate cake with secret healthy ingredients.  I love hiding veggies in my desserts, it is not like you taste them, they just improve the texture and make them extra moist.  Who doesn’t love carrot cake, or chocolate zucchini bread after all?  I certainly love them.  So, this was one of those sort of things. I had been wanting to make this cake for a couple of weekends now, but hadn’t had time so I had to jump on it when I did!

    harvest-chocolate-cake-5

    For the cake portion, I created a moist, delicious, rich crave worthy batter filled with goodness.  I used pumpkin puree and applesauce to keep it moist, along with shredded parnips, carrots, and beets, so there was a lot of nutritional value hidden in this cake.  Don’t worry, you can not taste any of them, they just give it a wonderful texture.  What you do taste is rich chocolate cake, so good you would not know it is vegan.  I sweetened it with dates as well, since they are about as natural as you can get when it comes to sweetners, and they give anything they are used in an almost caramelly flavor.  This cake is also gluten free thanks to Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour, which is my go-to flour.

    harvest-chocolate-cake-4

    harvest-chocolate-cake-2

    The cake smelled amazing while baking, like decadent brownies or something of that caliber.  It had to be decorated with something equally as good, so I made a simple fudge frosting that contains only 4 ingredients but it tastes amazing!  When I finally got around to enjoying the cake, it tasted wonderful!  You would never know it was hiding veggies, or is vegan because it tastes decadent as all get out.  So it would be perfect for serving to guests who you may be trying to win over to the vegan side.  It pairs well with red wine FYI, which is what I enjoyed with it.  I hope you all are having a wonderful Fall!

    harvest-chocolate-cake-1

    Vegan Harvest Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Caramel Filling
    Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake

    Ingredients:

    2 6 inch cake pans

    Cake:

    • 1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
    • 1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 cup packed soft medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1 cup of the soaking water reserved
    • 1/4 cup walnut butter or almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
    • 1/2 cup applesauce
    • 1 cup shredded mixed root vegetables (such as rutabaga, parsnips, beets, carrots)
    • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

     

    Frosting:

    • 1 1/4 cups pitted medjool dates, soaked in water for 30 minutes, and 1 cup of the water reserved
    • 3/4 cup walnut butter or raw almond butter
    • 3/4 cup cacao powder
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Pumpkin Caramel:

    • 1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak them in water and drain well first)
    • 2 heaping Tbsp walnut butter or almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp coconut oil, warmed to liquid
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp filtered water (plus more as needed)
    • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
    • 1/8 tsp cloves
    • 1/8 tsp nutmeg

     

    Directions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with oil so that the cake doesn’t stick and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment fit to the pan.
    2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and sea salt in a large bowl to blend well.  Set aside.
    3. Place dates, reserved water, almond butter, pumpkin puree, apple sauce, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then whisk this blended mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Fold in the root vegetables.  Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto plates, and peel off parchment paper. Cut layers in half horizontally.  Set aside.
    4. Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all ingredients In a high speed blender, and blend until smooth (since moisture content in dates varies, and nut butters may vary in runniness, if it seems too thin, add a little more cacao powder, too thick, a little more water).
    5. To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (adding a little more water if necessary, it should be the consistency of spreadable but still thick caramel).
    6.  To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate, and spread 1/3 of the caramel over it.  Place the other cake layer over that, then spread a little of the fudge frosting, and half the remaining caramel over that. Then another cake layer, the remaining caramel, then the last cake layer.  Then spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake.

    *If you would like this cake to be nut free, raw tahini may be used in place of the nut butter in the frosting and caramel, and olive oil or avocado oil in place of the nut butter in the cake batter.

    ***If you would like a 2 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans.  It will take longer to bake, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

     

  • Vegan Caramel Apple Galette

    Vegan Caramel Apple Galette

    caramel-apple-galette-2
    The weather has been just glorious here lately!  I am loving these cooler crisp fall mornings and warmer sunny afternoons.  To be honest I wish it could be like this year round.  40-50F degrees in the morning and 60-70F degrees in the afternoon is awesome!  Sunday was just like that.  It was nice and cool for my 10 mile run, and it was nice to not be sweating profusely and have more energy.  I always feel energized when the weather is cool, it makes me feel as if I can run farther and faster.  Also, the leaves are beautiful, and they are starting to flutter to the ground like confetti.  Running through the crunchy leaves makes me happy.  Since it was such a beautiful day, I made a trip to Alexis Bailly Vineyard with Eric, and it was the perfect weather for a wine tasting and then a walk along the river in downtown Hastings.  Fall days like this are what I look forward to all year round!  Also, I did some baking this weekend, a delicious caramel apple tart!
    alexis-bailly-vineyard
    My Grandpa had given me a bunch of locally grown apples a few weeks ago, and I have been making loads of apple goodies.  I wanted to make something a little more classic that I could share with him and my family and that is why the apple galette came to mind. It is much easier to make than pie being rustic, and almost impossible to mess up.  Not only that, it is as good as pie, bakes faster and you don’t have to worry about 2 crusts.  Galettes are one of my favorite fruit desserts.  In my pies and galettes, I like to use a mixture of nut flour and regular (well either oat or gluten free usually in my house) flour to make it extra delicious.  Trust me, this is the type of pie dough that you sample and go, this is delicious!  It tastes kind of like cookie dough in my opinion.  Yes, I taste my dough every time.  That way I can make sure it will be good once baked, and I am not missing an ingredient like the coconut sugar.
    caramel-apple-galetter
    I kept the filling really simple and classic to allow the apples to shine.  They were very flavorful apples, a mixture of Honeycrisp and Haralson my favorites for baking. It smelled amazing when I pulled it from the oven. I made a date caramel to top it all off once baked, and it was delicious!  I served it with a Golden Chai Spiced Coconut Milk Gelato I recently made and it was crave worthy!  Thumbs up from everyone else I shared it with too, our plates were cleaned fast.  If you are looking for a delicious way to showcase those fall apples, give this a try!
    caramel-apple-galette-1
    Vegan Caramel Apple Galette
    2 galettes
    Ingredients:
    Crust:
    • 3 cups gluten free oat flour (gluten free all purpose flour will work here too, I use Bob’s Red Mill)
    • 1 cup pecan meal (or almond meal)
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup coconut oil, in its solid form
    • 1/4 cup raw pecan butter or almond butter
    • cool filtered water as needed

     

    Filling:
    • 2 large apples, sliced thinly
    • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • juice of one small lemon
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • a pinch of sea salt
    • coconut sugar, for topping

     

    Caramel:
    • 3/4 cup pitted dates soaked in filtered water for 3o minutes and drained (1/4 cup soaking water reserved)
    • 2 Tbsp raw pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    Directions:

    1. To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, meal, sugar, and sea salt.  Cut in coconut oil and nut butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces.  Mix in just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky.  Add a touch of water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created.  Divide into 2 pieces and shape into rounds (if it is too soft, refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm it up slightly.  You want it pliable, but not super soft or it will be hard to shape).
    2. Roll each out into a 14 inch round using parchment underneath and floured rolling pin.  If it tears, no worries, just press it back together and patch it up.
    3. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  To make filling, mix together all ingredients in a large bowl.
    4. Arrange the apples over the crust leaving a 1 inch boarder, then carefully fold up edges to cover the edge of the fruit. Brush sprinkle with a little coconut sugar.  Place in the oven.  Bake for 45 minutes (checking after 20 and if they are very brown, if they are tent with foil) until bubbling and fruit is tender.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.
    5. To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth (pass through a fine meshed strainer if there are any chunks left).  If the caramel is too thick for drizzling add a little more water.  Drizzle over the top of the galette, and serve!
  • Mini Vegan Apple Maple Cheesecakes

    Mini Vegan Apple Maple Cheesecakes

    mini-apple-cheesecakes

    Apples are abundant in my kitchen lately.  So, when I got home from work Friday, and had the urge to bake something to relive stress and chill out, it was going to be apple.  I had a bunch of ideas for what I wanted to make bouncing around in my head and couldn’t decide on just one, so I had to ask Eric help me decide.  He said apple cheesecake sounded the best to him.  It sounded good to me too, and I knew I would have more time on the weekend to bake something else if I wanted to so cheesecake it was!  The idea of apples and cream cheese has always been a winner to me, ever since I had a Dutch apple pie with cream cheese filling when I was a kid.  It was amazing.  So I was excited about these!  I decided to make mini cheesecakes, because they are much easier than making a large one, plus good for small families such as mine when you don’t want a giant cake.  Not only that, how cute is it to have your own little individual cheesecake?!

    mini-apple-cheesecakes-4

    I kept the crust simple and plain, because I wanted to showcase the cheesecake and apples. For the filling, I sweetened it with a little maple syrup and maple extract, and it tasted wonderful!  I could have eaten it with a spoon, like rich frosting, but I poured it into the molds of course.  I kept the apple part simple, just a little cinnamon and maple syrup like my classic apple pie, but it tasted so good because the apples were very flavorful.  It is important to buy things like local apples whenever you can, because they taste much better, and of course they have more nutrients than ones that have sat too long in transit.

    mini-apple-cheesecakes-2

    I finished it all off once it was set with a little caramel, and it was so delicious!  I am glad Eric decided on these for the dessert to make, because they are better even than I expected!  Sweet, with the scent of maple and cinnamon, a little tart from the apples, and the gooey caramel to top it off… all together simply heavenly!  If you have some apples lying around from your last trip to the apple orchard, you must give these a try!

    mini-apple-cheesecakes-3

    Mini Vegan Apple Maple Cheesecakes
    Makes 6

    Crust:

    • 1/4 cup gluten free organic oat flour
    • 2 Tbsp almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/16 tsp sea salt

    Topping:

    • 2 cups diced apples
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

    Cheesecake Filling:

    • 1/2 cup full fat organic coconut milk at room temperature
    • 1/4 cup cashew butter
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    Quick Caramel:

    • 1 Tbsp almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • filtered water as needed

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the crust, stir together all ingredients in a bowl, and then press into the bottoms of 12 silicone muffin tins.  Place in the freezer while you make the filling.
    2. To make the topping, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples are softened, about 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.
    3. To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
    4. Pour the filling over the crust, spoon the apples over it, and place in the freezer to firm up for about 45 minutes or up to an hour.  Once they have firmed up, unmold them and place them on a tray.
    5. To make the caramel, whisk together the pecan butter, maple syrup, and just enough water to make it pourable.
    6. Once the cheesecakes have set, drizzle the caramel over the cheesecakes and serve! Store any left over cheesecakes in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Spiced Apple Crisp in a Jar

    Vegan Spiced Apple Crisp in a Jar

    Apple crisp is the quintessential Fall dessert as far as I am concerned.  I know most people would say pie, but in my house growing up, my Mom made apple crisp more often, since it was a quick and easy week day dessert that she could make after work and have it be ready by after dinner time.  Hers always included sweet tart apples like haralsons or honeycrisps were her favorite, and they are awesome for baking as well as being local.  She always used plenty of cinnamon and a little lemon juice in the filling for that something extra.  We like our apple crisp to be a little tart along with the sweet.  The topping always had to include oats, which made it extra crunchy.  None of that just flour business.  I make mine similar, except mine is veganized, I use maple syrup in the filling,  and I add coconut to my topping.  I have probably made this recipe at least 100 times over the years and it is always good.  I got some cute little mason jars for serving desserts in (yes, I bought them for that purpose, because they are adorable and it makes them easy to share without being messy) and I wanted to make apple crisp and serve it in them.

    apple-crisp-in-a-jar

    I read that mason jars can go in the oven, but instead of doing that, I cooked the topping and apple filling separately, and then spooned them into the jars (they looked cleaner this way as well).  I had gotten a big bag of local apples from a family member so I was all excited about making these!  It is only this time of the year you can get them after all.  I know apples come from around the world year round and are at the store but it is just not the same as the local ones.  I added a few extra spices this time, some nutmeg and cardamom along with the cinnamon to make these extra good.  I cooked the filling on top of the stove, which was much faster than the oven by far, and it gave me a chance to taste it for seasoning before it was finished.  It was delicious!  I baked the topping in the oven to crisp it up nicely before spooning it over the apple filling in the jars.  it smelled heavenly in my kitchen!

    apple-crisp-in-a-jar-2

    They were delicious!  Just as good as crisp baked only in the oven, but a lot faster.  The apples were sweet, and jammy and the perfect consistency (thanks to being able to test them for doneness), spiced lightly, and the perfect pairing for the crunchy topping.  These are good as is, but even better topped off with some coconut milk ice cream.  Also, these are portable, and I imagine they would be perfect for bringing to a Fall picnic!

    apple-crisp-in-a-jar-1

    Vegan Spiced Apple Crisp in a Jar

    Serves 4

    Fruit:

    • 4 cups organic sweet tart apples (such as honeycrisp or pink lady), diced
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste depending on how sweet your apples are)
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp cardmom
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
    • 2 tsp lemon juice

     

    Topping:
    • 3 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 3 Tbsp large flake dried unsweetened coconut
    • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
    2. Place all of the filling ingredients except for the flour in a saucepan over medium heat until the apples start to sizzle, then lower heat to medium, cover, and cook until the apples are tender (stirring often) about 15minutes.  Add the arrowroot, and stir until thickened.  Remove from heat.
    3. To make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands scrunching together to form small clumps until there are no floury spots left. Spread out on a sheet pan, place in the oven and bake until crunchy, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.
    4. Spoon the apple filling into jars, then top with the crumble topping.  Serve!

     

  • Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-3
    I can not believe October is here already! But I love it. I have to say, this is my favorite time of the year!  I was lucky enough to have this past Saturday off of work to run a 5k, and the weather was perfect.  A little chill in the air, the leaves were just starting to change color on the trees, and the sun was shining.  It just made me happy.  I felt really good during the race, and ended up being the first woman despite not hitting my time goal.  I spent most of the rest of the day outside, but I also decided to bake something Fall like because I was in the mood for it.  The cooler air makes me want to fire up the oven.  When most people think of apple desserts, they probably don’t think cobbler, but that is what I made.  Because a cobbler sounded amazing and I had some local honeycrisp apples just begging to be used in it.
    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-2
    I mean, there is nothing like a warm cobbler served with cool coconut ice cream melting into it.  That is just pure bliss right there and enough to put me in my happy place.  I didn’t go all crazy with flavors here, I kept it simple with classic cinnamon.  For the biscuits to top if off, I used almond meal along with the gluten free flour to make them taste especially rich and flaky.  I have been doing this with all of my cobblers for a while, and it gives them that something special.  Sometimes I use pecan meal or walnut meal, but almond was my nut of choice this time.  The dough for them tasted delicious even before I placed them on top of the cobbler.  For the filling, I added a little lemon juice along with the apples and plenty of cinnamon because that is how my Mom always made her apple pie, and it was the best so I wanted my filling to taste like that.

     

    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-1
    I was super excited about this, because it smelled amazing while baking.  I served it warm (of course) topped off with some of my vegan pumpkin spice caramel ice cream.  It was sooo good!  Those I shared it with enjoyed it too, and it did not take long for the baking dish to be empty.  This is the perfect Fall dessert and baking project for a Saturday night!  I hope you all are having a wonderful Fall so far!
    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits
    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits
    Serves 4
    Ingredients:
    Fruit:
    • 3 cup organic sweet tart apples (such as honeycrisp or pink lady), cut into chunks
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup almond meal*
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
     6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate
    Directions:
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    2. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    3. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
    4. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    5. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven.
    6. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
    *raw almonds ground to a flour consistency in a food processor, or you can buy almond meal at many stores.
  • Vegan Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies

    Vegan Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies

    Apple Oatmeal Cookies 2

    Local apple season is now here!  I am excited about visiting the apple orchards, walking the rows of trees, and getting some of my favorite varieties.  I haven’t gotten a chance to do that yet, but I was able to pick up some Honey Crisp apples, my favorite kind at the store I work in.  They are amazing, the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and they were developed at the University of Minnesota so they are a local apple.  There is nothing like biting into one of those, or making a delicious apple pie with them.  I dried some of them to make apple chips last week, and I decided that some of them needed to be used in a recipe.  Of course you can buy apple chips at the store, but home made are so much better especially when made with flavorful apples like the Honey Crisp.  If you want to make them, all you need to do is slice the apples thinly and dehydrate them at 115F for about 20 hours until completely dry.  They make a wonderful snack!

    Apple Oatmeal Cookies 1

    So back to this recipe I made with them.  I decided it was a good day to bake oatmeal cookies.  They remind me of fall and cross country races since that is what I always made for my team gatherings to share.  They were always a hit!  My Mom always said oatmeal cookies are healthier because they come with fiber so that always justified enjoying them after races.  For the ones I made this week, I added the dried apples, crunchy walnuts, and a hint of spice.  The dough tasted amazing (yes, that counts, it is the best part besides the warm ones right out of the oven) and I could not stop sampling it.  They smelled amazing while baking, the aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg and something sweet baking filling my kitchen and home.

    Apple Oatmeal Cookies

    Once cool enough to sample, I dove in, and they were wonderful!  They were crispy on the outside, soft in the middle just as they should be with chewy apples and crunchy walnuts throughout and of course that aromatic spice mix.  They taste just like fall, reminding me of lazy Fall Saturdays when I was younger.  I know it is technically not Fall yet, but as far as I am concerned it is fall.  The weather is starting to cool down, it is September, and I am ready for cute fall sweaters and crisp mornings.  These are the perfect thing to kick off the season with!

    Apple Oatmeal Cookies 3

    Vegan Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies
    Makes about 4 dozen

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid
    • 1/2 cup raw pecan butter (or almond butter)
    • 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
    • 2 flax eggs*
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour
    • 2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp ginger
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 3/4 tsp sea salt
    • 3 cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
    • 2 cups chopped walnuts
    • 2 cups dried apples, cut into pieces

     

    Directions:

    1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil, pecan butter and sugar until well blended. Add flax eggs, vanilla, and beat until well combined (the mixture will become very thick).
    2. Mix in the flour, spices, soda, and sea salt until well blended. Mix in the oats until well combined, then add pecans and apples and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
    3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack set at the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls, and spread them out on the 2 cookie sheets with plenty of room in between. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden, but not overbaked. Let cool on sheet a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack lined with parchment to cool.
    *Whisk together 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl.  Allow to sit in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mixture has set up (or become kind of thick).